Content We Love: Empire State Building’s Visual Storytelling

“Content We Love” is a weekly feature written by a team of our content specialists. We’re showcasing some of the great content distributed through our channels, and our content specialists are up for the task: they spend a lot of time with the press releases and other content our customers create, proof reading and formatting it, suggesting targeted distribution strategy and offering SEO advice. In Content We Love, we’re going to shine the spotlight on the press releases and other messages that stood out to us, and we’ll tell you why. We hope you find the releases enjoyable and the insights gained from discussing them enlightening.

Are you a storyteller?

Stories shape us, mold us, and impact us. It has brought us around campfires, grandparents, and friends who weave a delicate tale into our minds. Every message is a story! Finding the way to tell your story can be beyond difficult in this modern age. Add the pressure of being the “World’s Most Famous Office Building” in the wake of Hurricane Sandy along with the incredible Alicia Keys… all eyes are on you!

The Empire State Building put out a press release unlike any other– taking our visual world and telling a visual story! When I first read the release, I couldn’t help sharing it with friends and colleagues, exclaiming, “this is awesome!”

Because it is. Seriously awesome!

Not only are the LED lights impressive (especially in tandem with Alicia Keys singing), but the streaming video, the pictures, and the story compiled in a manner that is clear and visual bring me to a mental campfire to listen and pay attention.

Adding multimedia components to tell your story automatically boost its visibility. It is often said, “pictures are worth a thousand words.” Seeing images across the world of different events, disasters, elections, victories all fuel this as being true. Imagery is important!

This multimedia news release** not only had a panoply of great images that showcases the message, but also a video (!!) which perfectly captivates you in the moment, in the hype, in the excitement for the Empire State Building.

Wrapping up the beauty of this release is my adoration for all things social. Not only are we supplied with a compelling message, but we can take the next step! Empire State Building on Facebook? Check. iHeartRadio’s social aspects? Check. More pictures on Flickr? Yes.YouTube? You bet. Twitter?! YES!

Are you a storyteller? Never forget the power of multimedia when you distribute your news– it can leave a lasting impression that is seriously awesome!

In case you missed it, a couple weeks ago we release the results of a study of press release formats, and the results they generate. In a nutshell, our findings revealed that more multimedia within a message increases that press release’s results.